How to choose where/what to study

A guide for HR managers and students

Education in South Africa has undergone some major changes in recent years - impacting both consumers and businesses. Some of these changes were not always positive and several 'fly-by-night' institutions, which exploit students financially and left them with worthless qualifications, have led to some uncertainty. In addition, human resources representatives have also faced challenges in choosing accredited providers. In response the government has set down strict guidelines for education providers. Herewith some practical advice:

When choosing an institution:
Enquire whether the education provider is registered with the Department of Education (DoE). A good way to check is to insist on seeing the education provider's registration number and, if still in doubt, giving the department a call on 0800 202 933 or 012 312 5881 to verify this information.

When choosing a course or programme:
Ensure that the courses on offer are accredited as follows:

• If the course or programme you are interested in falls within the Further Education and Training (FET) sector, it should be accredited by Umalusi (www.umalusi.org.za) or the appropriate SETA (Sector Education and Training Authority). Their contact details can be found on their website and they will give you information on your selected course?
• If the courses are defined as Higher Education, then courses should be accredited by the Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC) (www.che.ac.za/heqc/heqc.php)

If you are an individual:
Depending on your reason for studying, you may choose a programme or course which is provided privately but does not need to adhere to the above regulations. These are generally called Provider Qualifications. These programmes don't carry any credit towards other qualifications and cannot necessarily be converted (also known as articulated) with programmes offered by other providers, public or private. This does not, however, mean that these programmes are inferior. Many of these are niche market-oriented and cater for specific occupational or vocational skills such as office administration, basic bookkeeping or just for self-enrichment such as pet grooming and flower arrangement.

If you are an HR manager or other manager:

Recruitment
The guidelines as set out above should also guide HR managers as to the appropriateness of the qualification or certificate held by a prospective employee. When reviewing CVs, HR managers should bear in mind that not all certificates are necessarily quality qualifications. Many certificates are just certificates of completion or attendance. HR managers should assess certificates of competence, which indicates whether a particular level of competence has been gained in the skill they are claiming to have achieved.

There are many such certificates that can be extremely valuable for an employer to consider when evaluating a prospective employee, although these are not formal qualifications. The skills that a particular job demands are often not necessarily imbedded in the curriculum of a formal qualification, while a certificate of competence is very often more focused and indicative of a level of competence in a specific skill.

Looking to upskill employee(s) through training
Evaluate a training provider's credentials by ensuring that the selected provider is equipped to deliver customised learnerships on a corporate, individual or government body level. A good way to gauge this is to check alignment with the South African National Skills Development Strategy - its key focus is on scarce skills, learnerships and national training priorities.